


Soupy

by bonehandledknife (ladywinter), Primarybufferpanel (ArwenLune)



Series: The Mountains Are The Same [21]
Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Breeder Court, Buckle Up Kids We're Going To The Feels Place, Confused understanding of consent, F/M, Frottage, Impregnation Kink, Internalised Racism, Mildly Dubious Consent, Pre-Canon, Sex Work, Sexual Content, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO SMUT TOWN!, Warboys of colour, because Citadel culture is a mess, breeders and battle fodder, people being sweet to each other in a decidedly non-sweet world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-04-22 21:15:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4850810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladywinter/pseuds/bonehandledknife, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwenLune/pseuds/Primarybufferpanel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soupy - A hold that is wet and slimy from water or some other source.</p><p>"Mm. What's yer name?"<br/>She looked at him with wide eyes.<br/>"Marienny."<br/>"Mary-enny," he repeated, as if committing it to memory. He put his pants back on. "'m Guzzer."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Somebody said 'I ship Guzzer/Many now' and sometimes I'm very suggestible. So here. 
> 
> I tagged for mildly dubious consent in the sense that both parties think they are things, so their base level consent is iffy, but they both choose and enjoy what happens between them here.

Marienny looked around the receiving room of the breeders court. It was just Furiosa's crew today, which made it much calmer than it was when some of the other crews were given their visit. Furiosa hadn't had her crew for long, but she had them in line. Marienny herself was five moons along for the first time, visible enough that they'd all recognised she wasn't there to be bred. She slowly walked around, offering the oil bowl to smooth things along where it was needed. There was still some chatter, the boys full of their successful trade run and needing to tell the stories, but on some of the pallets things were moving along.

She heard the entrance door open and in came a last warboy, tall and wide through the shoulders. He looked plenty experienced, his scars both from work and decoration, but he was painted up all shine like a brand new warboy.

"Hello," she went to meet him. It was never good to let a warboy stand around feeling ignored or awkward; you never knew which ones got angry. She thought she'd seen him before, with the War Rig crew, but he'd never chosen her.

"Hello."

He took her in, noticed her swollen belly, and shook his head slightly. Not at her, she thought, maybe more at the situation.

"Guess there's nobody needin' to be bred," he said, his voice soft and low. "I'll just--"

"At least stay and drink something?" Marienny suggested. There was something about his easy acceptance of being too late that she couldn't quite place. Most of the warboys could barely wait in their excitement. Now she thought of it, she didn't know if he'd ever chosen somebody in the court. Always come in too late. Maybe he didn't like breedin'?

There was something in the awkwardness of his body and face to suggest otherwise, even if he’d offered to leave. And why would he have taken the trouble to paint up all nice and fresh if he didn't want to be here in the first place?

Even if there was no breedin', these visits were supposed to be a reward, and she was surprised to find she wanted to at least— well, she didn't want him to just turn around and go again.

She led him over to an empty pallet, unselfconscious about the sounds of breeding from the nearby pallets, and he sat down while she brought him a cup of Aqua Cola. He looked a little uneasy, and she sat down next to him.

"The rest of the boys come here straight from their duty," she said after a long moment. "Why did you take the time to paint up fresh?"

"Isn't… don't think it's right ta…" he gestured at his own torso. "Gotta look right."

His paint was thick, and more oily than most of them used, as if he made a different mixture. It wouldn't flake off

"I think you look very right," she decided, looking him over. He looked strong and healthy, no lumps on him yet. He had shine scars on his chest and arms. And she liked his voice, all soft and rumbly. He looked back, shoulders a little hunched as if he wasn't sure her looking was a good thing.

"Can I…" she trailed a tentative finger over the scarring on his upper arm, followed the lines up along his shoulder. He tensed for a moment, but then he made a hum as if realising it felt good, and nodded.

She slipped her other hand up too, and gently encouraged him to turn his back to her a little. Just stroked his shoulders at first, light touch hardly disturbing the paint.

He looked up at her, eyes wide, and she wondered if he'd really never chosen anybody at the court. Had he always come in late, realised there was nobody left, and gone away again? Was that the intent? Did he not like being touched?

He reached out and took her hand from his shoulder, turned it over in his much larger hands. There was a light smear of white on her palm. He looked at her.

"If ya rub it off, I won't look right anymore."

"You can always apply it again though, right?"

He looked down at her hand again.

"Won't look right for you, though."

 _Oh._ He'd made that effort specially? And he looked like he had wiped off the road dust some of the others liked to show off, evidence of their status as rig crew.

"I like that you're all fresh 'n clean," she said slowly. "Don't matter if you stay that way though."

He hummed as if that pleased him, and put her hand back on his shoulder, patting it lightly to indicate she could resume.  She shifted to sit behind him on the pallet, on her knees so that she was high enough to put a little strength into the massage.

His paint gradually wore off where she kneaded and stroked his neck and shoulders and back, and she understood why he'd been worried, because he wasn't pale like the Immortan liked his warboys to look. He'd probably been concerned she would find him less for it, feeling the need to work harder to look respectable, and still risk her not wanting to be bred by him because she didn't want pups that would have to use so much paint. The girls didn't have much to choose, but she knew some had preferences about who they'd prefer to be picked by when it was their fertile time.

He gradually relaxed, until he was leaning against her, his back smearing some paint onto her loosely wrapped cloth. On the pallet next to them there were the sounds of a warboy reaching his temporary Valhalla, and the warboy under her hands shifted. When she glanced over his shoulder, she realised he was hard, aroused by the sounds of breeding all around them, or perhaps by her touch. Warboys didn't touch anybody much outside of punching, she knew that.

"We could still.. if you wanted?" she said softly, not really sure why she was suggesting it. If he'd demanded to breed her, she would have resented it; she didn't have to be available, being bred up already. That he didn't demand anything somehow changed things.

He reached back to put a big, careful hand against the side of her rounded belly. His hand was rough and calloused, but it felt nice.

"Got a full belly already," he rumbled. "Don't wanna disturb the pup."

She smiled against the back of his neck.

"I know a way that you won't," she said, not really sure why she seemed to want this with him, wanted to prolong this moment.

He looked at her a moment, trailed his fingers from her shoulder to her wrist.

"Yeah?"

She nodded, and gestured for him to take off his pants. She dipped her hand into the nearby oil bowl.

Apparently he hadn't expected to take off his pants, because the skin under it was mostly unpainted, a deep, dark brown. She slid an oily hand over the line of his hip and then took him in hand, liking the low, almost startled sound he made.

She got them positioned on the pallet, stretched out together face to face, and when his hips began to twitch into her hand motions, nudged him closer, putting his slicked gearstick between her upper thighs.

"Between, not inside," she whispered, and he nodded, one big hand wrapping around her shoulder, the other around her hip. Held her still and began to move, slowly at first, as if he was savourin' it.

She'd really only been thinking about what she could offer him that she wanted to share, but it felt surprisingly good, especially when she angled her hips so that he rubbed against her sparkplug. Soon she was making little gasps on every thrust of his hips, and oh, this was— this was _something_ , with the way he cradled her close against him and the little sounds he was making, his open mouth pressed against the side of her neck. She could feel the scrape of his teeth, but there wasn't the fear he would bite; he was sucking on her skin, and it was giving her odd but pleasant sensations.

One of her hands had ended up in his neck, encouraging him to stay close, and the other was on his ass, enjoying the way she could feel his muscles flex as he moved.

She made a breathless, surprised sound as he ground against her harder, and then he was groaning softly, rhythm gone unsteady, and she could feel his seed on her skin. Whatever hill she'd been racing up flattened off, never quite cresting, but it was still easily the most enjoyable thing she'd ever done with a warboy. Especially when he didn't move right away, stayed close to her for long moments even though all around them warboys were finishing, getting dressed.

"Mm." She sighed, liking the way her belly felt pressed against his muscular stomach. She could feel paint on her face from where she'd pressed it against the side of his throat.

"Mm," he agreed, licking that sensitive spot on her neck. He sounded satisfied, and she shivered.

When he finally moved, she could see that she'd left a white handprint on his ass. The thought was so absurd that she chuckled. He turned his head to follow her gaze and snorted.

"Not washing that off."

She felt herself glow with something warm, absurdly pleased that this had been… had been _something_ , for him too. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her cheek, either scrubbing at paint or smearing it out. She suspected the latter.

"That was nice," she said, not sure why she said it. It wasn't like it mattered to the warboys what the breeders thought. He looked pleased though.

"Mm. What's yer name?"

She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Marienny."

"Mary-enny," he repeated, as if committing it to memory. He put his pants back on. "'m Guzzer."

She didn't know what to say - no warboy had ever talked to her after breeding, even if he'd done so beforehand. He didn't seem so sure either, but he pulled a ragged blanket up over where she was laying, still on her side. He gave her a tiny smile and a soft "Bye" and then he was gone.

The thought of her handprint still on his ass gave her something to smile about at odd times over the next few days.  


	2. Chapter 2

It was probably foolish to stay in the breeding quarters the next time Furiosa's crew came in. She didn't need to be there. She didn't want to be bred. No, it was  _ definitely  _ foolish, and she knew it as soon as one of the warboys spotted her and shoved through the crowd toward her. He had a gleam in his eyes she didn't like at all. 

"Acid," the Ace said, halting the boy in his tracks. "Not her."

Marienny began backing away, trying to get out of Acid's line of sight. 

"I just wanna know what had Guzzer all--"

"No. She don't need to be bred," Ace said, voice loud and stern in a way Marienny had never heard it before. 

Acid turned around and cast his eyes over the girls who had to be available today. Marienny winced in sympathy with Naaka when Acid chose her. 

Ace himself chose Lizzybe, which surprised nobody and didn't displease her, and Marrienny noticed that the both of them seemed keen to get the pallet next to Acid, so they could keep an eye on what was happening. 

Marienny berated herself for volunteering for attending duty. The warboy probably wouldn't come, or wouldn't care, and she wasn't even sure why it  _ mattered _ , that he'd asked her name, that he'd wanted her to know his. Why she'd turned the encounter over in her head so many times. It had been… more than tolerable. Nice? Nice. She wouldn't mind if he'd choose her again. 

The girls guided the crew to the pallets, and Marienny went around ensuring everybody had a cup of Aqua Cola, that those who wanted it had oil. 

Next time she looked he was there just inside the door, eyes already on her. 

Very aware of all the other people that might be looking, she went to him calmly, gave him a small smile. 

"Too late again?"

"Hm," he agreed, with a gleam in his eyes. "Pity."

He kept his eyes on hers while he took a step toward the corner of the breeding quarters, the pallets there a little more shielded, and she fell in at his side without thinking about it. 

He reached for her, then dropped his hand back to his side. 

"Can I-- hmm.." he made the gesture again, and she watched him, baffled.  

"Boss says we have ta ask."

She felt her eyebrows rise. What… why? What was the purpose of that? They all needed to get bred up, the Immortan wanted them to give him plenty of pups. Did the Imperator mean that they could say no to a warboy? They all needed to get bred up, but if given the choice, there'd be a few warboys who'd never touch any of them ever again. 

"An you have ta say yes," Guzzer added, sitting down on the edge of the pallet. Oh. Well that made sense, just some ritual the Imperator had decided on. 

"Yes. You can touch me," she said, knowing she would have said it even if she didn't have to. She sat down next to him on the pallet. 

He turned to her and reached up, one of his huge hands cupping her face, the other petting her hair. He smoothed down the soft curls, trailed his fingers through them. Seemed to like the feeling of it. He leaned in to press his nose against her hair, and she couldn't help smiling. Guzzer seemed fascinated with her hair, and she supposed that wasn't surprising. The children young enough to live with the breeders had short hair for ease of care, and as soon as they became Warpups they were shaved. 

"Do you want to lie down?" she murmured. 

He tipped them both over, careful to guide her down gently, and put himself so he was with his chest to her back. She tensed for a moment at no longer seeing his face, but then he kissed the side of her neck, the same spot he'd given such attention last time, and she relaxed. 

His hand roamed over her side, her hip. Then lightly up to her breasts, and she let out a breath, pushing into his touch a little. He made a soft hum and adapted the pressure she showed him. Quick on the uptake, this warboy. 

She could feel his hard prick up against her ass, but he was only absently rocking his hips a little, apparently focused on exploring her body. One big hand trailed down, over her belly. Patted lightly a moment, as if saying hello to her pup, and slid further down. 

His fingers were large and dry, and this felt familiar, being explored with curiosity but little interest for how she felt. She let herself take a shallow breath, waiting for him to do with her body what he wanted. Just because he'd asked her name didn't mean this wasn't a breeding.

He made a considering sound and his hand disappeared a moment, to reappear with oil. He pressed his nose into her hair and took a deep breath.  

"Marienny… You're shine," he murmured, nose pressed behind her ear. She smiled a little, slowly coming back into the moment. His fingers slipped between her legs, and her breath hitched as he slid past her sparkplug. 

"Mm?"

"Yes. That's nice," she whispered. She could feel him smile against her. He crooked his finger a little

"Thought about you." It was the softest of confessions. "Makin' those shiny sounds."

Marienny felt herself flush with the idea that he'd thought of her. Had he gotten himself off at the thought of her, at the sounds of her enjoyment? She turned her head enough to see him from the corners of her eyes. 

"Did you spill yourself, thinking about it?"

"Mm-hm," he confirmed, moving his fingers slow and searching, and her hips jerked a little, rocking against his touch. She sighed at the flash of pleasure. He groaned softly and she felt his prick pressed hotly up against her ass, rocking with more intent now. It brought both their hips moving and her sparkplug against his fingers just right, and she curled her fingers around his wrist, keeping his hand where she wanted it. 

"Can breeders go to see Valhalla's gates?" he asked softly, and it took her a moment to realise he meant climax. 

"I think so," she whispered. She'd tried, a few times, just her and her fingers. It had felt like edging up to something big and unknowable, and she hadn't quite been able to get there. 

"Wanna show you," he breathed over her ear, and she shivered. His own breathing sounded more laboured now, and she rocked her hips more actively, liking how he felt against her ass, slick and hard and powerful. Every rocking motion of her hip brought her against his hand just right, a flash of pleasure, and she heard herself make needy little sounds. Her stomach muscles were tensing, and her whole body felt primed for something, as if she needed to  _ move _ , to shift up a gear and fang it, race up that hill at top speed. 

She felt his large hand curl around her jaw, cover her mouth, and she hadn't realised how loud she'd become until she held back the sounds. She grazed the pads of his fingers with her teeth, and he groaned over her ear, and she felt her whole body tense, everything too much and not enough all at once, and then she crested that big hill, and--

He muffled her moans with his hand and kept rocking her, gearstick grinding slickly against her ass. His other hand still at her sparkplug, and she twitched weakly, gasping at the shoots of sensation she could barely process. Just then his breathing stuttered, a warm, damp moan over her ear that made her shiver, and she felt his seed spurt onto her lower back.

She nipped at his hand to remind him it was still over her mouth, and he chuckled into her ear, letting his hand slip down to her chest. 

"One of the others been askin' questions," he murmured. "Don't wanna draw his attention to you."

She nodded. She'd rather not have Acid's attention on her either, and anything a warboy showed particular interest in was likely to try to be claimed by others. 

"You're so shine.. so shine…" Guzzer murmured, arms tightening to cradle her close, and she was surprised to find she didn't mind being confined like this. Not with the sweet way his lips trailed her neck, his hand was lightly cupping her belly. His body was warm and firm against her back, and she wished for more time. The first warboys were already leaving. She could just see the Ace and Lizzybe getting up, and Guzzer made a disgruntled little sound, as that meant his time was up too. 

His hand slid to her side, and he gently rolled her forward a little, half onto her stomach. She made a questioning noise, but he slipped down behind her, and then she felt his mouth on her spine, cleaning his seed from where he's smeared it onto her skin. Nobody had ever touched her like that, and it was such an odd sensation, a little ticklish and somewhere between too much and not nearly enough, that she shivered and heard herself make a whimper sound. 

He chuckled against her skin, and then sat up, letting his hand trail from her side down to her ankle as if he wanted to keep touching her as long as possible. Then he sat on the foot end of the pallet, his back to her, as he put on his trousers and boots. Another warboy called out to him, something crude Marienny tried to ignore, and Guzzer answered while pulling a blanket over her, back of his fingers giving a tiny brushing touch to her jaw before he turned away.

"Bye," she whispered, but he was already gone. 


	3. Chapter 3

It was her right to avoid the breeding quarters while she was bred up - the Organic Mechanic didn't want rough breeding to risk growing pups - but Marienny tried to keep being around when Furiosa's crew visited the breeding court. 

In the months that her belly grew, Guzzer touched her gently, whispered to her, made her see the gates of Valhalla, and she came to look forward to his visits, short as they were. Her suggestion that he didn't bother with the fresh paint - it would give them more time - baffled him so much that she didn't  bring it up again. 

Apparently Ace's correction of Acid had stuck with the crew, because while some of them seemed interested in her, they mostly left her alone and chose the other girls. 

Then one time a slim, short warboy with twin scars on his chest came up to her. She'd seen him once or twice before, but thought he'd been one of the ones that didn't care for breeding. 

"I can't be--"

"That's okay, I can't breed anyway," he said quickly. "Guzzer ain't comin' today, said I should talk to ya."

Her heart pounding in her throat, she lead him to one of the pallets in the back, and they sat down with their backs to the other pallets.

The warboy kicked off his boots and settled down next to her. "Guzzer got hurt, he's in the Blood Shed. Not so bad though," he continued quickly, and she could only imagine what he'd read on her face. She wasn't supposed to care, he was only a warboy and he was going to die historic sooner or later, just because he whispered her name and asked what she liked… she wasn't supposed to care. "Boss'll have him in her quarters tonight, take good care of him."

"Okay," she said, oddly touched that Guzzer had thought to get somebody to tell her. 

"'m Sprocket," the warboy said, and Marienny felt herself blush a little. She'd heard that name - Guzzer had said 'Sprocket said to use my mouth, said it'd feel shine' last time she'd seen him. Just before he'd slid down her body and done things that had made her leave teeth marks in her own forearm in an effort to be quiet. 

"Guzzer said you kneaded his shoulder, made it work better. Since you can't breed and I can't breed, I thought-- my back…" 

He glanced at her, clearly uneasy with admitting there was something wrong with him, and she nodded. 

"I'll get some oil."

 

 

* * *

 

When her pup started coming, she hadn't seen Guzzer in almost a moon. There was to be a visit from Furiosa's crew that day and she might have cursed the pup for not bein' able to wait one more day, so she could have-- well, even just sit with him for a bit. Feel his big hands on her skin. But she was so thoroughly tired of being huge, so ready to finally have a pup for the Immortan, she couldn't regret it. 

Lizzybe would be staying with her for the birth, four moons gone herself, but went to the breeding rooms for the visit to assist there. When she came back she was smiling a little. 

"Your warboy asked after you," she said, joining Marienny on one of her countless circuits of the living quarters. She was trying to breathe down a wave of pain, so Lizzybe had to repeat herself before it sank in. 

_He hadn't forgotten about her._

"Told 'im you were labouring, and he said to give you this--"

She opened her hand, and there was a-- Marienny bent closer, grimaced at the twinge in her back. It was a leather thong with a single, green bead of glass. She gasped and lifted it to look at it more closely. This was something-- something he'd traded for, probably. He'd not only not forgotten about her, he'd seen something shine somewhere on a trade run, maybe even gone looking for it. For her. She felt an odd, light feeling in her stomach.

"Want me to put it on you?"

She nodded, and Lizzybe put the thong over her head and adjusted the knot. The bead was a pleasant weight against her skin, and when she was heaving for breath later that day, shoving her pup into the world with a hoarse roar, the bodyheat-warmed bead sat against her throat like a promise. 

 

* * *

 

 

Three weeks later she handed her milk-full pup to Lizzybe and volunteered for attending duty. She hadn't stopped bleeding yet, and Organic wouldn't approve of her going out there. There would be enough girls for Furiosa's crew though, and she'd wrapped her cloth high and closed to signal she wasn't available for breeding. 

The glass bead sat heavy and warm against her skin, hidden under the cloth. 

When Guzzer saw her, his eyes lit up, and she was very aware of the eyes that might be on them as she went to him. It was no secret that they favoured each other, but she hadn't forgotten his worry about drawing attention. She didn't look at his face, not yet, as she lead him to one of the pallets in the back. 

"Marienny," he sighed, gently drawing her close. He looked at her, almost inspecting her, and she felt herself relax when he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Thought about you."

"I--" she choked on the words, reached for his hand instead. Guided it up to high up on her sternum, over the cloth. His eyes widened when he felt the bead there, and her stomach felt strange and light all of a sudden. 

He guided her down to the bed, on their sides and close together, and his hand cradled her face. 

"..y'look tired," he finally said, a little worried. 

"Little pups don't let you sleep much," she said. 

"Oh. You don't want to see--" he gestured vaguely. "The gates?"

He was half-hard against her thigh, and she felt exhausted at the thought alone. Maybe coming out hadn't been a good idea after all. She'd been so eager to see him that she hadn't considered he would want to sex. 

She shook her head. "You can. If you want." She wouldn't even mind, she thought. He'd always been careful not to hurt her.

He clearly considered it for a long moment, but then he hummed, his hand stroking long passes over her back. 

"I like it when you like it," he murmured, rolling onto his back and pulling her close against his side.

_ I want the next pup to be from your seed _ , she almost said. Instead she nestled against him, her head on his shoulder and one leg drawn up and over his, her arm across his broad chest. He felt the new scars on the front of his shoulder and touched them lightly. 

"I worried," she confessed. 

"It was mediocre," he sighed, sounding annoyed with himself. "Not nearly chrome enough."

"I worried about  _ you _ ," she clarified. 

"Oh." he didn't quite seem to know what to do with that, but he tipped up her face and lightly kissed her lips.

Marienny made a sound of content, her body heavy and comfortable on the pallet. She didn't have anywhere to be or anything to do; Lizzybe was taking care of Singa. She could just be here. 

"Sorry," she murmured when her eyes began drifting shut. 

She felt him chuckle. 

 

Marienny gradually became aware of the sound of voices and motion in the room. A hand was making slow, soothing passes over her head and down along her back, and she was warm and comfortable. 

"Marienny," a low voice rumbled, and she could hear the smile, and smiled against his shoulder. "Best wake up."

"Mmh."

She sleepily shifted away to give him space to move, and he gently thumbed at the bead through her cloth, as if reassuring himself it was still there. Then he brushed a kiss over her lips and she curled up while he turned to pull on his boots. 

"'ey Guzzer, wha'did ya do to that girl?" she heard somebody call. 

"Exhausted 'er!" Guzzer called back.  


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Marienny had sex for a living? I mean, literally. And sometimes it's pretty unpleasant. She's consenting but disassociating for the first few hundred words of this chapter. It isn't graphic.

Singa was halfway into his second moon when the Organic Mechanic decided Marienny ought to go back into the rotation. She might have been able to put it off for another tenday if they hadn't expected two crews, neither of them Furiosa’s, but as it was further delay would have been unfair to the others. 

She hadn't had to be available for breeding in almost a six-moon, and it was unexpectedly hard to pretend interest in the warboy that chose her, to lay back and let her mind drift and let him breed her. She tried not to think about what Guzzer's hands had felt like, how carefully he had listened to her her every breath, her every sound. 

She was startled back into the present when the warboy bent down to suck at her nipple, mouth rough on tender flesh. 

"No!" she snapped, and he looked at her in utter surprise. "That's for my pup."

He scowled, not used to being denied something by a breeder. But Marienny was tired and sore and wished he'd just finish. Perhaps it was her long break from this duty, but she could barely feign the patience to lie there. 

He seemed to decide it wasn't worth the argument, and continued breeding her with rough thrusts. When he finished and rolled off her, she laid there in the cool, damp air of the breeding rooms and felt nothing at all. 

* * *

 

She'd never been so glad to have to wait for a visit of Furiosa's crew. When it was their turn, three days later, the soreness of rough treatment had mostly healed. 

She managed to escape the attention of his fellow crew, but it felt like a close thing. Now she no longer had an excuse to refuse a breeding, Guzzer coming in late might mean she had already been chosen. 

His eyes flicked around the room as he came in, and he looked relieved when he saw her waiting for him. She was waiting for him and there was no point in trying to deny it to herself. She'd looked forward to seeing him. 

He breathed her name while they went to one of the pallets further back in the breeding room, fingertips stroking lightly at her wrist. It made a shiver run down her back. 

"You're well?" he asked softly, looking her over. She nodded. Well enough, anyway. 

"You should come in with the rest of your crew," she whispered, stepping into his arms. "Or I might not be free to see you."

"But the…"

"I don't care about the paint."

She felt the shock of those words sink into his body, his big hands going still on her back before continuing their pleasant wandering. 

"Heard.. warboy from Noxious's crew…" he hesitated, body tense, and she wondered if he objected to her having been bred by another. Warboys weren't supposed to claim anything for themselves. "I hope he didn't hurt you," he finished, mumbled against her neck. 

She couldn't lie to him. "A little, but I'm okay now."

He made a little hum of acknowledgement against her neck, and she steered them onto the pallet, nudging him to take off his shoes and pants. Took off her wrapped cloth. 

He trailed to a halt with his pants halfway down, just looking at her, and Marienny smiled, nudging him with her foot. He hurriedly kicked down his pants and trailed a hand up her leg, crawling up the foot end of the bed until his face was hovering close to her hips. He glanced up at her.

"I want you to breed me," she said softly, because maybe they shouldn't waste time. She would be happy to be pregnant again, both to serve the Immortan and because it would mean she didn't have to be available to breedings. Producing pups for the Immortan kept her safe, so the sooner the better. And if she was going to get bred up, she hoped it would be by Guzzer.  

He made a thoughtful sound and gently pushed her legs apart, made space for himself there to angle his broad shoulders between her thighs. One hand stayed close, traced through her curls, while the other slid up to gently cup her breast. 

"Guzzer, I want you to--" she tried to say, before his mouth lowering to her body lanced her trail of thought. His tongue traced her sparkplug and she put her arm over her mouth to muffle the moan she couldn't hold back. After a few minutes he carefully slid his finger into her, and she could feel her muscles twitch and clench around him. He didn't stop until she saw strange bursts of light behind her eyes, her hand tugging weakly at his arm to make him slide up. She could feel his gearstick against her thigh, stiff and leaking. 

His face was wet, and he looked very pleased with himself when he saw her dazed look. He shifted to the side of her and helped her turn toward him, kissing her while pressing his gearstick between her slicked thighs. She blinked, because she wanted-- hadn't he understood?

"I want your stick inside of me," she said, spreading her legs. He made a confused sound as she rolled onto her back. She traced her fingertips over his cheek. "I want you to give me a belly full of your seed."

"But I-- a pup would… you  _ want… _ ?"

" _ Yes _ ," she said, a little surprised she had to convince him. "If I'm gonna be bred up, I want it to be by you. Come on."

She pulled him on top of her, knowing he'd support his weight on his forearms. He felt warm and solid on her body, but she didn't feel trapped, with the way he was looking at her. His cheek felt hot when he leaned down to whisper in her ear. 

"I've never…"

_ Oh _ . She'd just assumed-- well, nevermind. She slipped her hand down between their bodies and his breath hitched when she curled her fingers around his shaft, gave him a slow stroke. Then she guided him toward her entrance. 

"Slow, real slow," she told him, voice gone thready as he sank into her, the stretch of it, her body still sensitive from earlier, the soft sounds Guzzer was making, all of it combining to make her shiver. 

"Okay?" he asked when his hips pressed up against hers. His face was hovering over her, and she clenched her muscles around him, craning up to muffle the strangled little sound he made with her lips. 

He set a slow pace, steady but intense, and she found her fingers trailing over his back, nails scratching lines along his spine that he seemed to enjoy. She hadn't expected the breeding itself to feel good, but he was hot and thick inside her, the deliberate pacing making heat spark in her belly. She could hear herself make little panting sounds, body straining against him. 

When his breathing got heavier, she pulled up her legs and wrapped them around his hips, and he made a startled, breathless noise, pressing his mouth to the tender spot behind her ear as he pulsed inside of her. 

"Shine, so shine…" she heard him murmur into her hair, and she let her hand rest in his neck, over his brand, to encourage him to stay where he was. He was heavy, but right now it felt good, her legs wrapped around him with his gearstick still inside of her, all the warm, relaxed weight of him. She felt strangely powerful in this moment, something she'd never felt before when being bred. 

They gradually became aware of other Warboys getting dressed, chatting together, boasting to each other. Guzzer made a disgruntled sound low in his throat, and Marienny sighed. She wished he could just… stay, for a little longer. 

When a few minutes later they heard the Ace's voice, Guzzer sighed and leaned up to kiss her, hand caressing her face in a way that made her feel strangely tearful. Then he carefully climbed off her, softened gearstick sliding out of her, and she missed the warm weight of him before he pulled a blanket over her. 

He sat on the edge of the bed to put on his pants and boots, and she idly watched the brown lines on his back where she'd scraped away the paint.  

"Hey," she said softly, when he was nearly done. Reached out to trail her fingers along his ribs. "Be earlier, next time?"

He gave her a look she couldn't quite decipher, but took his hand gently in hers, tangled their fingers for a moment. His lips quirked up a little at the paint under her fingernails. 

"'ey Guzzer! Got her worked up enough to scratch yer back, did ya?"

She could see his face close up, the fondness in his eyes getting shuttered. 

"Keep it down, Volt, fucksake."

"Why? Seems like a good thing," the warboy laughed."I wanna make the Boss do that to me."  


"You need some tips or somethin'?" Guzzer drawled, and squeezed Marienny's hand softly, getting up and joining the other warboy without looking at her, as if trying not to draw attention to her.

They left the room quietly chatting.


	5. Chapter 5

"Marienny! Your warboy is here!"

"What? The rig ain't been out again, has it?"

"He's on his own!"

That wasn't supposed to happen, and Marienny felt a flutter in her stomach, something that felt a lot like excitement or dread or maybe both. She wrapped up Singa and handed him off to Lizzybe's waiting arms. Took a swig of Aqua Cola to rinse her mouth, checked the drape of her clothes, reflexively touched the green glass bead at her throat to make sure it was still there, even though she never took it off.

Naaka withdrew the bolts on the door that separated the breeding room from the living quarters, and Marienny went through, her face warm.

He was there. All freshly painted, his face lighting up when he saw her, and she couldn't help herself, hurried over.

"Are you allowed— _how—_?"

"I done good," he shrugged. "Boss let me choose a reward," a small grin. "I can be here until three-bells."

Her eyes widened, because that was more than twice the time they'd ever had together before. She also felt inexplicably uncertain all of a sudden. Every time they had spent time so far had been governed by the rules of breeding times, under the eyes of dozens of other people. Being alone with him, in the otherwise empty breeding room, while they had more time than they'd ever had before—

She saw his hand twitch toward her, then lower again, and she huffed a breath, because apparently she wasn't the only one at little at a loss.

"Do you want Aqua Cola?" she blurted, searching for steady ground. Hospitality, right. That was part of the breeding sessions. This was a reward for him.

He nodded, and she went to get a cup for him, trying to get her sudden nerves under control. Her face felt like it was glowing. When she handed him the cup his fingers brushed hers, and some of the fresh layer of paint smeared onto the back of her thumb. She touched it with her other thumb, smearing it out. He watched her do it and took a sip of the Aqua Cola, and then she found herself staring at his mouth.

"I, um."

He gestured vaguely.

"Do you want, I mean—"

He finally went to a nearby pallet and sat down on the edge, and she followed without realising, until she stood in front of him. Shook herself and sat down next to him, almost close enough to be touching.

"Do you want—" he offered her the last of the Aqua Cola, and she accepted the cup, drank it down in small sips. She licked the last drop from her lips, and then he was staring at her.

It wasn't like the warboys stared when they came in for breeding, like she was food to be devoured. It was something else, and she couldn't name it, and she felt flushed and confused and restless, hands playing with the now-empty cup.

"Can I— um."

"Yes." She wasn't sure what she was saying yes to, but it didn't matter.

They stared at each other for the space of a second, and then he leaned in and cupped the back of her head in his huge hand, and she shivered.

"...yes," she breathed, and then he was kissing her, and _yes_ , this was right, this was what they should have been doing all along. It only took a moment before she found herself parting her lips, making little sounds low in her throat.

She ended up straddling his lap, her arms twined around his broad back. His hands roamed her back, sometimes smoothing down her spine to cup her ass. At one point his fingers gently dug into her hair, massaging her scalp, and she felt her entire body go soft and still under his touch.

He grinned against her ear and guided her head to rest against his shoulder, and she made a happy little sound when he kept going.

"Boss likes this too."

"Mmm."

"You going to sleep?" he asked at some point.

"No…" she sighed, though maybe she had been a little. "Just feels nice. Be touched like that."

"I like it. Can I… can I touch you all over?"

"Mmm-hm," she hummed. There probably wasn't much she'd have refused him right now.

He unknotted her belt and laid it aside, and then unwrapped her cloth. She pressed a lazy kiss to his lips and felt him smile. Then he moved her onto the pallet and just sat there looking at her nakedness for a while.

"Just gonna look?"

"Mm, maybe. Nice view."

She chuckled, and stretched out. She felt good, exposed in a way that was - for once - not uncomfortably vulnerable. His little murmurs and the darker colour in his cheeks meant he enjoyed looking at her, but she knew her preening wouldn't make him forget about what she liked and didn't like, or make him want to mindlessly breed her.

His hand smoothed up the outside of her leg, and she felt goosebumps rise in its wake, feeling her body rev up. He stroked her everywhere, even the places nobody had ever thought to touch - her elbows, her ankles, the arches of her feet. She squirmed a little at that, unable to decide if she liked it or not, and he chuckled, eyes on her face to gauge her reaction as he slid a hand to the back of her knee.

She heard herself make a little squeaking sound, and his answering chuckle made something flutter in her belly. He rubbed his cheek over the top of her foot and then nudged her over onto her front, so he could press a kiss to the back of her knee.

Marienny let out a shivery breath.

He made a questioning hum, and she chuckled into the mattress, turning her face so he could see she was enjoying this strange… whatever it was he was doing. She'd never been touched like this, and it was simultaneously relaxing and driving her a little bit crazy.

He rubbed his cheek against the back of her thigh, slowly moving up, and she jumped a little when he reached the swell of her ass and there were teeth, just lightly, just a nibble, and a rich chuckle. One of his hands was lightly kneading her other ass cheek, and she felt him rub his cheek where his teeth had just been, then finally just rest his head there.

"Wish I could sleep like this every night," he murmured, and she laughed, couldn't help it. The image of being used like a pillow like this was so strange. "'cause it'd mean I got to see you every night," he continued. "Shiny shiny Marienny."

"shiny pillow, you mean?"

He pressed a loud smack of a kiss against the curve of her asscheek, and then moved up a bit, rubbing his cheek all over her back. Now and then he'd stop and just press his nose against her and take deep breaths.

"Smell so good," he murmured, and she reached back to touch him, hand coming to land on his shoulder, petting idly. He made a happy little sound and licked between her shoulder blades.

"You're lucky I don't wear paint," she smiled.

She felt him shift around, the weight of him on the pallet, and then he moved over her, his torso brushing against her back. He was hovering over her, carefully keeping his weight off of her, and she shivered at the heat and the power of it, how easily he could smother her or hurt her without even trying, and at how carefully - and without apparent effort - he was making sure he didn't. It was like he'd wanted to caress her with more than his cheek or his hand, so he was using most of his body to do it.

"You're rubbing your paint onto me, aren't you?"

He moved until she could feel his breath at the back of her neck, a shiver going down her spine.

"...I may be," he admitted softly, and she could _hear_ his grin, it did something to her, made her feel some kind of swoop on her stomach, and she reached back and pulled his head down toward her so she could kiss him, craning her neck to the side. It pulled a part of his weight down onto her too, but she didn't mind, maybe even liked it, and she kissed him until she had to break away for air.

"I wanna make you feel chrome," he whispered against her cheek, and she laughed softly, because, well.

"I _am_ feeling chrome." Maybe the chromest she'd ever. Her whole body was humming.

"Chromer than now," he corrected. "Much chromer…." she felt his chest press lightly against her back, and she leaned up a little, increasing the contact. "Muuuuch chromer," he was still murmuring.

He rolled to the side of her, and she moved to lie in front of him, her head pillowed on his arm and her back tucked against the heated planes and angles of his body. His other arm came around her, and she made a happy little sound when he pulled up his knees to tuck his legs around hers. She wiggled back a little, increasing the contact. Felt his gearstick hard against her ass, and rolled her hips, enjoying the feeling of it.

"You gonna breed me again?"

He went quiet, thoughtful, his hand stroking idly low on her belly.  

"Does breeding…" he finally asked, close to her ear, "does it feel good for you?"

She turned her head to look at him, wondering what brought that on. He surely would have seen warboys with her fellow breeders. Observed, if he had thought to look at the women's faces, that it was more a thing to be endured than to be enjoyed.

"With you it did," she said finally. He made a little hum that told her he understood the implication of it being the only time. Truth be told she'd never thought of breeding as something that could be enjoyed. Undergoing it was just how you became bred up and were able to serve the Immortan. "I liked it."

"It didn't… make you see Valhalla," he said, hesitating. "Not like the Boss, sometimes, with fingers."

Huh. It was news that Furiosa and her crew… but then from the way her crew seemed to idolize their Imperator, she wasn't surprised. Guzzer murmured contemplatively, "How to rev you up proper just me, I can't with my mouth while I also—"

Marienny smiled a little while picturing the contortions necessary. They she squeezed the hand he had on her belly and moved it down, and he trailed his fingertips over her slickening lips with a little murmur. Teased her a while, familiar now with just how to get her going.

When she was squirming in his arms, rocking her hips in an effort to get his fingers touching her just right, she twisted her neck to kiss him. She felt herself make eager little noises, felt him grind his gearstick up against her ass.

"Like this," she panted, tearing her mouth away for air. She lifted her top leg and tilted her hips. "Want you to— breed me like thissss—" she trailed off into a high little whine as he finally circled her sparkplug with his fingertip. He chuckled low and dirty as he did it again, his gearstick slipping wetly against her opening. Her whole body felt primed for it, and when he finally slowly pushed into her, she moaned low at the way he filled her.

"Wanna make—" he panted, pressing his face against her neck, "Make you— feel so chrome…"

"Nnnggg." was all she could say when he bottomed out, feeling him so deep inside her, her fingers clamped around his wrist to make sure he didn't move his fingers away from where she wanted them. "Just… keep.. oh… doing thaa- _oh!_ "

His first long, slow thrust made it hard to think. How was this feeling so _good?_

"Doing what?" he teased, panting against her neck. "Like this?" he widened the circling of his fingertips just enough to make her whine, "or like this?" the circles changed direction but grew tighter again, and it was all she could do not to shriek, her mouth pressed against the meat of his upper arm.

Her hips moved of their own accord, rocked back against his at the end of his next thrust, and he made a strangled noise against her neck.

"Like that then,” he panted and continued the tight circles. She could feel the tenseness in his legs and hands as he tried so hard to maintain control, to focus on her.

"Yesssss," she shoved her hips back again, rocking them between his fingers and his gearstick. The bottom of her feet tingled. "Guzzer—!"

He groaned on hearing the wrecked way his name came out of her, and increased his intensity somehow, if not his speed.

"Gonna put a pup in your belly," he moaned. "Get you all bred up."

She pressed his hand harder against her, the words somehow like a shot of nitro inside of her, and she agreed breathlessly, "yeah... yeah, give me a belly full of seed, I— I wanna grow big with your pup."

He groaned loudly, shoving into her, and it was the spark, and then the ignition, and she gasped sharply, her whole body jolting in his arms. She could feel her body clench around him, and distantly she felt his seed pulse into her. His thrusts slowed, extra slick now, and the feeling of that slickness set off another ricochet of jolts.

Marienny couldn’t seemed to stop shivering and every shiver felt like it’s own separate spark, Guzzer seemed to try chasing the shivers away with one large palm but he only caused more of them. She took a deep breath and stretched into the feeling, bringing her hand up and around to land on Guzzer’s cheek.

“Chrome,” she pronounced grandly. Or at least she hoped that was what it sounded like, her ears were still buzzing.

The feeling of his laugh against her back was almost as chrome. It made his softened gearstick slip out, but the mess of it wasn’t even a bother. She rolled over, pressing up against him with a happy little sound, and he folded his arms around her.  

"Mmmmm," he rumbled against the top of her head, and she shivered, smiling against his neck. His hand made slow, sweeping passes down her back.

She didn't remember ever feeling this good, her limbs warm and heavy, every deep breath letting her sink deeper into the comfort of his touch. It felt so good to be in his arms, after, to have a little time together. Maybe that's why she'd felt so inexplicably sad after the first time he'd bred her, that she’d somehow wanted this without knowing.

She felt him take a deep breath a couple of times, his hand never pausing from its caress on her back. Finally he said softly, as if the thought was too strange to say aloud, "You really want a pup that's my colour?"

She pushed up a little so she could look at him, but he didn't meet her eyes. She looked over at him, strong and solid and _kind_ , with his big, gentle hands and his handsome wide nose and soft lips. She got distracted for a long moment with kissing those lips

"I want a pup that's like you," she finally said, looking for a part of him that wasn't covered in paint. Some of it had rubbed off onto the blankets and onto her, but it still left a pale layer on his skin. Finally she slid her hand down his arm and lifted his hand, pressing a kiss to the paler skin of his palm where he never put paint. "I want a pup that's like you and me."

He made an odd sound low in his throat and pulled her closer against him, his hand cupping her head so he could press a kiss against her forehead and then one to her lips that seemed to go on forever.

Eventually they heard the distant ringing of bells, and Guzzer groaned, pressing his face into her hair for a long moment.

"Wanna stay here," he mumbled.

"Won't you get in trouble?" She was all too happy to have him there, but not if it got him out of the good graces of his Imperator. Furiosa had granted him this time, after all.

"Ace said he'd come by if I wasn't back in time," he admitted. "And that I better have my pants on when he did."

He reluctantly detached himself from her and sat on the edge of the bed to put on his pants and boots. Marienny curled herself around him, a hand trailing his back. She didn't know why, but it was hard to stop touching him. He hummed and leaned back into her touch, petting her hair the moment he had a hand free.

She tilted back her head into his hand, smiling up at him, and he smiled back, tracing her face with his fingertips. They sat in silence like that until they were startled by the outer door banging open. Guzzer was on his feet in an instant, blocking her from whoever was in the door. There was a cheerful bellow of "You better be wearing pants!"

Then, "Oh, you are. Good. Hi Many."

She blinked, because— because the Ace knew her _name_?

Then he said to Guzzer, "Say goodbye. I'm waiting just out here," and closed the door again.

Guzzer turned back to her and kneeled down so he could kiss her, and it was tinged with regret and over too soon.

"What did you do to earn this, anyway?" she asked idly as he pushed to his feet. Hoping to distract herself.  

"Caught a grenade and threw it back," he grinned. "It was chrome."

She stared at him, wide eyed. She was aware that every run he risked his life, that good warboys weren't supposed to shy away from death. Possibly even looked forward to it. She'd just thought— she'd just _hoped._ That. That he wasn't looking for his exit just yet.

"Might do it more often if this is the reward," he grinned, apparently taking her horror for admiration, and was out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

She'd been worried that he'd stop appearing, that he'd find his way to Valhalla in his attempts to get to see her, but after a few more visits with his crew the fear slowly faded. Her belly grew, and she once again had the choice to see only him. He refused to breed her now, but their moments together were if possible even more enjoyable. He seemed more certain of his welcome, more confident with his touches, flushed with the hope that the pup she carried might really be his. 

They weren't supposed to do this, to be like this, and they both knew it. The feeling of stealing, of having something forbidden even if there weren't rules against it, never left them, and they were both careful to keep it as hidden as they could. 

Not that her fellow breeders didn't know, didn't help facilitate them sometimes. Some of them were jealous for being favoured by somebody who was sweet, careful. Being favoured - by a warboy or an Imperator - had never meant anything good before. But the idea of this, the shape of what some of the older breeders called a 'romance,' fit with some of their stories, and sometimes they'd ask Marienny how things were going, what Guzzer had said or done to make her smile. 

As she grew big and heavy he'd rub her sore back, her feet. Sometimes they would just curl up under the blankets together, and one of her fellow breeders next to them would make some extra noise. 

Sometimes he'd use his mouth on her, and he always held her afterward when she felt loose and warm and giggly.

He laughed ruefully sometimes, “I’m gonna grow addicted to your water.” 

"Your own fault for making me so wet," she teased lazily. She kissed some of the dampness from his full lips. 

* * *

 

When she had her baby, she was pleased to see that Damarwulan was indeed Guzzer's get. A sweet baby with strong lungs, she told him the first time she was able to see him after the birth. The smile on his face made the exhaustion feel worth it, more so than the knowledge she'd given the Immortan a child as he wanted. Maybe that's why they weren't supposed to get attached, if the joy of some warboy felt more important than the Immortan. 

"I bet he has the sweetness from you," Guzzer murmured against her hair, hands gliding warmly over her back. And then, when she was feeling so warmly relaxed she was on the edge of sleep, she could feel him studying her face, a careful fingertip tracing her cheekbones so lightly. She wondered if he was thinking about how Damar looked, if he'd even seen a baby's face, if he could remember. She was surprised by how much she liked the idea of him meeting her son, but there really was no way to let that happen. They both risked harsh punishment if they tried. 

Guzzer murmured idly, "Maybe I'll meet him when he comes to the Dens. If he has skin like mine, I'll know him."

The thought that he hoped to still be around by the time her tiny newborn was old enough to become a warpup made her feel warm inside. Maybe they had time, after all. 

* * *

"'ey Guzzer, she bred up again?" Kompass said. "You work fast, man."

"Good  run? " Sprocket grinned and patted his shoulder. 

Guzzer wasn't sure if to point out that it could easily be by somebody of the other crews. She might favour him - and with how pleased she'd be to tell him her baby looked like him, he no longer doubted that she did - but in the time she'd had to go back into the breeding rotation she'd had to receive the other crews as well as theirs. He tried not to be bothered by the thought. 

Or at least, he tried not to be bothered by the thought that the others who bred with her barely took notice of her. That was what she preferred, she'd told him, from warboys other than him. At least if they just bred her they didn't think to be cruel. 

And that thought was much worse, that some of them were rough,  _ mean  _ even. He'd always known that happened, but now he knew how nice it could be, not just for him but for both of them, that knowledge was much harder to take. Why would anybody— when they could make a breeder hum with pleasure? When you could treat her so she'd meet your eyes and hope to be chosen by you, why would anybody want to make it so that she cringed and tried to sidle away so you wouldn't pick her? 

Thankfully his own crew at least had become much better with the breeders, and from things Marienny had said, he got the feeling they weren't as unwelcome in the breeder quarters as the other crews.  

"Now give me some advice about that stuff you do," Kompass said, when the others had moved on. "The non-breeding stuff that makes her like ya. Boss pulled me in last time and I did what Sprocket said, but it was… if it happens again I wanna make her feel real shine."

"Boss don't like all the same things Marienny likes," Guzzer pointed out. For one thing, Marienny actually liked breeding if he did it nice and careful, said she liked how his gearstick felt inside of her. The Boss didn't permit any of her crew that. 

"I know that, but—" Kompass made a helpless gesture. "It ain't the same as breeding, but I'm never sure what…"

Guzzer thought he maybe  _ did  _ know, what the other man meant. They'd found a few things they knew the Boss liked, and licking her sometimes got her to see Valhalla, but it didn't always work. Sometimes she'd go quiet, or turn her face away, or suddenly curl up like it was too much or not enough or maybe both at the same time. And no matter how they tried, how Ace and Sprocket swooped in to hold her close all sweet and gentle, she wouldn't - or maybe couldn't? - say what was wrong. 

They thought maybe it wasn't enough like what the Immortan had been like, but how would they find out if she couldn't tell them? Or maybe it was like at the start, when Marienny would sometimes freeze up, go all quiet and still as if she'd gone somewhere else in her head. It had felt like he'd glanced away and suddenly they weren't riding on the same car anymore.

"She likes it when I look at her. Her eyes. Whisper her name. Touch her hair, all gentle like. Tell her I want to make her feel real shine. Kiss her."

"Boss don't want that.” They both grimaced at the memory of how she'd flinched and shoved at Ace when he'd tried to kiss her. She hadn't said anything more to them that night, just curled up quietly and pretended to sleep. " Must have been for the Immortan only ."

"The kissing, yeah. But the other stuff?"

"Hmm. I'll try that, if she'll let me." Kompass nodded.

Guzzer figured he would, too, if the Boss invited him. It weren't the same as with Marienny, and most of the time he was fine staying on the edges and watching, not resenting others the honour of sexing with the Boss. But it  _ was  _ an honour, a sign of her esteem, and if he'd learned things that might make her feel shine, he was more than keen to give them to the Boss, who deserved to feel shine all the time just as much as Marienny did. 

He thought back at when he'd told the Boss that Marienny had had a son that looked like him, at how the Boss had sounded so pleased for him. Had said that if the boy grew up anything like Guzzer, he'd have a place on any crew he wanted for sure. 

Guzzer planned to live long enough to at least meet the boy as a pup. He wanted to know what a mix of Marienny and himself looked like. 


	7. Chapter 7

Marienny handed out cups of Aqua Cola, keeping half an eye on the door. Guzzer would be here any moment, looking all clean and handsome, and then she could tell him about having felt her baby kick—

The Ace was looking her direction. He exchanged a few soft words with Lizzybe, who nodded, and then he came toward Marienny. 

She swallowed, looking from his face to the door, hoping against hope—

"Come with me," he told her, leaving no doubt about claiming her. 

He took her to one of the far pallets, sitting down with his back to the rest. Gestured for her to do the same. She felt numb as she complied. 

"He ain't comin'," the Ace said, his throat working as if it cost an effort to say. 

He could be wounded, or fallen out of favour, Marienny told herself, because she didn't want to believe, didn't want to  _ know _ —

"Went out chrome," Ace said on a sigh, and Marienny heard herself make a soft keening sound. "Dunno know that it helps, but it were something to be proud of."

His voice didn't sound right, as if knowing that wasn't helping  _ him  _ like it ought to. 

She slowly curled up around the swell of her stomach. This was wrong, this was all  _ wrong _ , any moment he'd walk in, she'd look up and he'd be in the door, all freshly painted up because he wanted to look nice for her. He'd be giving her that tiny smile that meant he was excited to see her but didn't want to be obvious about it. He'd trace his hands over her swollen belly, something he'd almost not been able to stop himself from doing ever since she'd told him how much she hoped this new baby was also from his seed. 

"I'm sorry," Ace said heavily, lightly bumping her shoulder with his, and she knew it was true

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, don't think I poured on all this pain deliberately for you readers, I totally broke my own heart by getting so attached to a pairing that I'd pre-established as ended. This kinda ran away with me. Ouch my feels.

**Author's Note:**

> Also sorry for the title but trust me, it was the best of a terrible selection that made us cackle wildly and go OMG EVERYTHING IS PENIS JOKES NOW


End file.
